Chief General Of The Un Food And Agriculture Organization

Former Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Jacques Diouf, once commented, Defeating hunger is a realistic goal for our time, as long as lasting political, economic, financial, and technical solutions are adopted. In his speech, Diouf referred to a sustainable development issue known as food security, an international issue that involves the availability, access, utilization, and stability of food. With recent global attention directed towards seemingly more pressing issues such as non-state terrorism and gender equality, issues such as food insecurity have largely become neglected - tabled, especially by the media. However, it is very much a current and urgent issue with recent events such as the FAO†¦show more content†¦When individuals experience a sustained dearth of sufficient, safe, and nutritious food, food insecurity exists, and today, this issue is most prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa. While food insecurity has always existed, the more recent food crisis that occurred in 2007 and 2008 has expanded the problem to affect more and more people on the global stage. One reason food insecurity exists is because of the lack of production. In six of the last eleven years, the rate of global consumption was higher than that of production. The rising demand of food compounded with high energy prices and climate change makes food more difficult and more expensive to produce. As a result, nations must address problems that deal with food waste. Further, food insecurity not only involves hunger, malnutrition, and famine but is also a catalyst for riots within nations and tensions between nations. For example, in just the first half of 2008, riots broke out in over 40 different nations. Food insecurity also negatively affects a country s economic development, environment, and trade. Furthermore, it is an issue that affects not only the hungry 1/8 of the world s population but also small-scale farmers trapped in farm debt around the world. These farmers need access to technology and information, local storage systems, and crop insurance in order to es tablish efficient food production. In sum,

Is Las Vegas Sustainable - 1478 Words

Is Las Vegas Sustainable; Economy: Christian Kehinde â€Å"Sustainable† is defined by Dictionary.com as being â€Å"able to be supported as with the basic necessities or sufficient funds†. Can it be said that Las Vegas is sustainable? The sustainability of Las Vegas is a question that has been asked at different points in its history. In the early 20th century water sustainability was the crisis and this was solved by water being gotten from wells piped into town. In the 1950s atomic testing were advertised as a tourist attraction to tourists, providing locations to watch the testings and view the mushroom clouds (American Experience, 2005). This are just a few ways Las Vegas has defied the odds to prove that it is sustainable. Against all odds and when it looks like people are going to stop visiting the city, a new reason to return is created. Focusing on the economy of Las Vegas, using research papers, journals, news articles and various other sources, I would prove that Las Vegas is still sustainable even after the rec ession hit the economy of Vegas. The economy of Las Vegas as a whole contributes to the sustainability of the city and none of the industrial sectors can survive without the other. This is because everything in Las Vegas is interdependent. Vegas is located in the Nevada desert, the closest large city to Vegas, outside of Nevada, is San Bernardino, CA, which is about 187 miles away. For this reason people who visit Vegas rent rooms in hotels. This is an integral partShow MoreRelatedEquity One And The Las Vegas Sands Corporation Essay1598 Words   |  7 PagesEquity One and the Las Vegas Sands Corporation are the only two North American real estate organizations to submit their sustainability report on-line to the Global Reporting Initiative. 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Three assessment methods which promote a learner-centred free essay sample

Promoting a learner-centre approach for an assessment is a good way of in keeping with individual learning. Moreover it promotes independent study to a point, because it works hand in hand with the strengths and abilities of the student which gives them confidence in their ability so in that way they are motivated. This therefore is an open example of andragogy learning, which is self-directing and empowers to learn. It creates an impulse to self assess and self reflect, which is the best form of learning as it is active. Practical work assessment is normally classified under a learner-centred approach as it mainly involves the student’s activities and their own way of doing or expressing something. In this way, practical assessments (which can include lab work, problem solving, computer simulations or anything that can produce a material result example: baking a cake, singing a song) keep students ‘on task’ where there is minimal area to deviate or wander off subject. We will write a custom essay sample on Three assessment methods which promote a learner-centred or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Students are normally more excited about doing a practical exam as opposed to having to put pen to paper for a couple of hours so this gets their attention and creates a sense of urgency. It is also useful to have this kind of assessment method because it is easy to modify, to make room for those with a disability, to alter some steps for those with a different individual learning method. Having done a practical assessment promises a better interpretation of concepts learnt through practice, trial and error and consistency. The limitations include health and safety requirements and specifications, it is also quite time consuming to run and prepare, also, physical materials are needed such as a labs, computers, ovens, etc so this can only be done where and when opportunity is available. Portfolios, with carefully selected and justified collections of student’s work, are another form of assessment that could be learner-centred. Most of all, it is a good way of measuring progress and standard. Within this concept, students feel that need of working towards a goal and they can focus on the next topic or work being their best topic and so forth. Portfolios sometimes show merging of information or knowledge, showing what they have learnt in previous topics appears again in the current topic and carry itself forward. It does require a high level of responsibility from the student though, as it is quite demanding to be consistent and it is also time consuming for both the teacher and the student. Assignments are probably best to fit into this category as well. Assignments offer an opportunity to develop and extend an argument in which the student may be confident in writing about. This means that they can delve into details of a subject and not merely skim the surface and learn the basics. The only limitations is that is it is highly subjective, the topic is hardly exploring more than aspect and therefore only demanding the development of a certain event or argument. When assessing, the observer must make sure that they are making sure that the assessment delivers quality. They must make sure that they are carrying out their role according to standards and procedures set by higher awarding bodies. This is best dealt with by planning an assessment carefully. No planning can cause a disruptive and expensive, time-consuming mess and still fail to achieve what it was set out to do. It could also become the source of argument and disagreement with those of higher authority, so again, this comes back to ensuring quality. First of all, the plan should be built around the question, â€Å"WHAT is being assessed? † What does the student need to show, know or produce? And most importantly; to what standard and under what conditions? The assessment plan must also have a clear indication of the outcome. Taking a holistic approach means that you consider the person as a whole, not just a physical, which would mean you take into consideration mind, body and spirit, which gives the assessment more of a textured approach. This could suggest that the assessment encourages working the body, and stimulating the mind to get maximum results, knowing that the student has explored a diverse means of showcasing his knowledge. They may feel less intimidated and more inclined to show what they know as opposed to fearing being tested on what they do not know. Holistic planning could include planning around individual learning to assure that the assessment provided is best suited to the learner’s ability. This could be done by having the main goal of the assessment at hand and writing down different ways of assessing quality and capability. Holistic planning gives a fuller outcome after an assessment as it is planned on a ‘larger’ scale. It is sometimes evaluated by collecting evidence from the learner via multiple dimensions (coursework, observations, presentations, tests etc. ) then sum up the learners overall performance holistically with a single grade. There may be always risks present during an assessment setup tied to the assessor’s responsibility. First and foremost, it is the assessor’s responsibility to turn up for the assessment or assign an appropriate invigilator for the day, they should be clearly informed of the day and time beforehand. Reminders could be distributed, as an early confirmation to make sure everything will run smoothly. It is also important that the students turn up for the exam, that they will be fully informed of their assessment day and time, and their correct placement or running order within the assessment period is sorted and confirmed beforehand. This could be printed out and put on a notice board or handed to the students as a hand-out, or put on an online student portal. Assessors and invigilators must also make sure that there is no cheating going on during and exam and if there is, they should report it or give out warnings. The consequences of cheating must be made clear before the assessment starts. Invigilators and assessors must also be very aware of the individual assessment each student is taking, therefore handing them the correct paper, by taking extra care and completing checklists or having a visual plan to follow of who is to be assessed in what way or with which paper. There also may be a risk that the assessor may not have informed themselves with the updated version of the syllabus which risks the assessment being pointless and the students studying the wrong thing. Teachers checking on curriculum requirements regularly, even if it has been the same for a while, and signing up for newsletters from the board can avoid this. Assessors and invigilators must also take into consideration usual Health and Safety procedures making sure the fire exits are clear and accessible, that there is sufficient ventilation and hazards such as trailing wires are sorted out before students enter the room. Planning an assessment must include planning to avoid risks and having solutions ready just in case they occur.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks free essay sample

Lacks is a mother of five and leads a regular and happy life with her husband, children, and other relatives. This perfect world suddenly disappears when she realises that she has a knot in her womb. She goes to John Hopkins Hospital for treatment. She has cervical cancer. The hospital takes advantage of the situation and of her colour. They use her cancerous cells for research. They repeatedly expose her to high amounts of radiation in order to extract more cells. Years after her inevitable death, her family c to know about HeLa. They are devastated. Through her portrayal of the impact that the revelation of HeLa had on the Lacks family and the fact that the doctors at John Hopkins repeatedly exposed Henrietta to radiation in order to take cancerous cells from her body, Rebecca Skloot brings two questions to mind- Does science murder to dissect? Is taking someone’s cells without their permission ethical? II. We will write a custom essay sample on The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Author’s Background Rebecca Skloot is a science writer. She has written articles for the New York Times Magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine, and Discover, on topics like goldfish urgery, tissue ownership rights, race and medicine, and food politics (Skloot www). Skloot attained her Bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, and her MFA in creative non-fiction writing (Skloot, www). Being a graduate in biological sciences, Skloot would have a thorough understanding of the main argument presented by the story of Henrietta Lacks. The very fact that Skloot has written on tissue ownership rights and, race and medicine, implies that she has researched both topics well and is an authority on them. She perfectly combines scientific knowledge with emotional impact in the book. She uses the Henrietta Lacks’s daughter, Deborah’s feelings and emotions to literally tug at the heartstrings of the audience. Rebecca Skloot presents the facts as they are. Although, she does try to imply the fact that Henrietta’s cells were used because of her color; however, she leaves it to the reader to form their own opinion as to whether it was right or not. Skloot does not allow her opinion to come in the way and bias the author’s viewpoint. She presents the differing viewpoints and opinions of the family and the researchers. III. The Book’s Argument Rebecca Skloot’s main argument in the book is that researchers should take permission from people before using their cells, tissues, or any other body part for research. It does not matter if the tissue is waste material after a surgery; it was a part of the other person’s body at some point. The person has privacy rights and nobody, regardless of level of authority has a right to violate that privacy. The author develops her argument by quoting what researchers the world over have to say about the case, by talking about the family, and also by mentioning an interesting case called Moore vs. Regents of University of California (Moore vs Regents www). Rebecca Skloot met a lot of doctors and scientists when writing the book. She went to John Hopkins Hospital numerous times during the ten year time period. Researchers in the hospital claimed that Dr. George Gey, the first person to work with the HeLa cells did not earn a lot of money from Henrietta’s cells. (John Hopkins www). However, other researchers in countries like Sweden, Russia, and France earned a lot of money for just researching. A certain amount of the taxes that we pay are contributed to research in the sciences. Henrietta’s cancerous cells helped form a vaccine for polio. They were used for testing human sensitivity to cosmetics. Cancer research is being aided by cancerous HeLa cells. All these researchers acknowledge the fact that Henrietta’s cells are priceless and they have led to enormous breakthroughs in medicinal science. Very few, however, concede to the fact that Henrietta’s family should be compensated and that Henrietta should have been asked before her cells were taken. Henrietta Lacks’s children were devastated when they realised that their mother’s cells had been taken without her permission. They felt that it was unfair that they were living in penury- they could not afford college, health insurance, or any of the luxuries that the rest of the world takes for granted; while their mother’s cells were earning scientists millions of dollars. The emotional impact on the family was even greater. Henrietta’s daughter Deborah is literally the driving force of the book. Skloot helps her make peace with HeLa cells and the fact that although it is not well acknowledged, her mother’s contribution to science would help other people in need- it would be invaluable. The children research their mother by reading articles on her. They try to visualise what kind of a person she would have been. The mood point that Skloot tries to make here is that, although the children knew how their mother’s cells helped the world, they did not basic things about her like- what colour she liked best, what kind of clothes she liked to wear, what she liked to do. They wanted recognition more than compensation. They wanted the world to realise that their mother was a person too (New York Times www). Skloot’s use of the Moore vs Regents of UCLA case plays a very important role in defining the purpose of the book. John Moore was being treated for hairy cell leukaemia by Dr. Golde of UCLA. Golde saw this as a wonderful opportunity to start of a new line of cells-the Moore cells. Therefore, he repeatedly took cells from the patient’s body over a period of seven years. Golde took samples of blood, bone marrow and spleen for Moore. When Moore finally came to know what was happening through his attorney, he fought the case in court against UCLA for malpractice. The court verdict conceded to the fact that Moore had a right to know what was happening to his cells but he did not have any right over a discarded part of his body. Through this example, Rebecca Skloot emphasises the rights of the patient over even discarded parts of their body. It is not ethical to take someone’s cells without asking. They have a right over every part of their body and they have a right to knowledge (Moore www). IV. Opposing Points of View Many people, however, argue that cell research is invaluable and it helps people in wonderful ways. Researchers say that the amount of good that cell research does by saving people’s lives is much too great to be evil. It has led to vaccines being created for illnesses like polio, smallpox, chickenpox and mumps. It can also help cure Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and spinal cord injuries. The two examples below help support the opposing viewpoints. On the 8th of June this year, Timothy Brown had been cured of AIDS using stem cell research. The blood stem cell transplant that he received was particularly resistant to the HIV virus. Researchers hope to treat other such cases with umbilical cord transplants. This example contradicts with the argument in the book in the sense that it opposes Skloot’s implied claim that cell research is not as good as it seems. Although, there is no apparent controversy about ownership rights in this case, there is still a remote chance of some sort of scandal. The scale of this treatment was not too large and as a result it does not have a negative impact on either the patient or the donor. Probably the fact that there are a lot more laws concerning research nowadays prevents a case like Henrietta Lacks’s case (ABC news www). Other scientists claim that although the patient has a right to know if their cells are being used for research, they cannot lay any claim on the profits from the research other than treatment (San Diego www). This viewpoint would be unethical in the view of the book because it completely contradicts the book’s main argument. It is important to advance in technology but it should not be so overbearing that all rules are forgotten. If a scientist is working on new type of cell research, they need to comply to all the ethics associated with it. They cannot just let a patient be ignorant of the fact that their cells are being used. Doctors in John Hopkins have dedicated an entire section to Henrietta Lacks on their website. However, they do not feel even a little remorseful about the fact that they had not asked either Henrietta or her family for permission to use her cells for research (John Hopkins www). V. Conclusion In conclusion, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks emphasises that although the HeLa cells play a very important role in advancing major technology, the scientists should have informed the Lacks family that the cells were being used. Ethicality would have been in actually asking either Henrietta or her husband for written permission to use the cells. Rebecca Skloot perfectly contrasts the views of the family and the views of researchers. Skloot does not try to imply that cell research is wrong, she just calls for a more ethical procedure. Her purpose was also to tell the world about Henrietta’s story. She brings to light the fact that we have all been helped by Henrietta in some way or the other. She persuades the audience to be thankful to this great woman. It was indeed a touching and beautiful narrative. VI. Works Cited

To Keep Your Customers Keep It Simple free essay sample

Summary of Article Decision Simplicity; what’s the most important thing we can offer potential customers to move them from being interested to actually purchasing our product? The study described in this article suggests that it’s ‘decision simplicity’. The single biggest driver of stickiness, by far, was ‘decision simplicity’- the ease with which consumers can gather trustworthy information about a product and confidently and efficiently weigh their purchase options. What consumers want from marketers is, simply, simplicity. Researchers from the Corporate Executive Board analyzed results from multiple surveys totaled over 7,000 consumers, as well as interview with hundreds of marketing experts and executives, trying to figure out what makes a product ‘stick’. They looked at over 40 variables, trying to figure out what is most important in the choice of one brand over others. The key wasn’t frequency of interaction with the brand, nor was it price, nor was it the consumer’s initial perception of the brand. We will write a custom essay sample on To Keep Your Customers Keep It Simple or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In the end, the purchasing decisions are most influenced by which company makes the decision to purchase simple. The article cites an example of two approaches to selling cameras to web searchers; one firm provides visitors access to extensive information about each of its products, while the other focuses on the user’s needs and steers the user to the most appropriate product. The latter approach would be far more successful in today’s marketplace, say the authors. The study showed that the ‘decision simplicity index’, a measure of ease of accessing the information needed to make decision, was highly predictive of sales success. Brands that scored in the top quarter in their study were 86% more likely than those in the bottom quarter to be purchased by the consumers considering them. They were 9% more likely to be repurchased and 115% more likely to be recommended to others. That is awfully dramatic. The answer to make customers purchasing decision simple has been described in three parts as follow: 1. Easy navigation – while every site can benefit from obvious paths to desired information, the best sites will attempt to determine consumer intent from information like search terms used by the visitor. If the consumer can be steered directly to information relevant to their stage of the decision process (e. g. initial product research or final product selection), they will be more likely to stay engaged with the site. . Trustworthy Information – Oddly, perhaps, the information consumers find most trustworthy isn’t impressive research or detailed product data. Rather, it’s commentary from other consumers in the form of reviews, descriptions of intended use, etc. If our site lacks this type of content, it may seem less trustworthy even if the brand itself is respected. 3. Ease of weighing options – Choices takes a toll on our brains. Offering consu mers more choices can actually reduce sales. Sometimes, many products are necessary to serve specific needs and market segments. The solution, according to the authors, is to provide an easy way to compare products and quickly find the one that is most appropriate. Authors also pointed that ‘Intuit’ has made a concerted effort in providing easy navigable, trustworthy information and helping customers weight their options in which eventually it makes their purchasing decisions far simpler though no company has fully integrated the three components of a decision simplicity strategy. Lesson Learnt / Conclusion On top of trying too hard to engage with consumers via social media, marketers are generally pushing out too much information, causing people to over-think purchase decisions and making them more likely to change their minds about a product, be less confident in their choices and less likely remain loyal to the brand. For years, we’ve heard about KISS: Keep it simple, Stupid. This study shows that advice is still highly relevant in appealing to the digitally aware consumer. It’s time to stop overwhelming consumers with marketing information and cut through the clutter. We should take an unconventional approach – forget engagement, increase simplicity.

Indoor And Outdoor Games Children And Young People Essay Essay Example

Indoor And Outdoor Games Children And Young People Essay Essay Example Indoor And Outdoor Games Children And Young People Essay Paper Indoor And Outdoor Games Children And Young People Essay Paper I have selected this subject because I have observed many kid s who are really fond of playing video games became aggressive and violent. They were used to play video games and so seek to use those techniques in existent life which they applied in games for illustration if a child had played racing game and did floating in it and acquire the compliment like Excellent, Nice e.t.c so he/she feels he/she was expert in it and he/she can make it in existent life excessively but when he make it in existent life it may do serious accident which may do his/her decease. While out-of-door games like cricket, football e.t.c. assist us to keep physical and mental wellness, create the spirit of assurance, subject and tolerance and we learn obeisance of regulation. These games promote peace and harmoniousness among people. Games and Human Behavior Games help us to keep physical and mental wellness, create the spirit of assurance, subject, tolerance and do us enthusiastic and some violent picture games can increase aggressive behaviour. In ancient times gymnastic exercises were the lone method of physical exercising. It was really dull and humdrum. Man wished to acquire mental pleasance during physical exercising so he invented many outdoor and indoor games with the transition of clip. The history of the athleticss and games likely extends every bit back as the being of people as purposive sportive and active existences. Sports have been utile manner to increase command of nature and environment for people. The history of athleticss can learn us about societal alterations and about the nature of athletics itself. Sports involves basic human accomplishments being and exercised for their utility. It besides help us to cognize how society has changed its beliefs and hence there are alterations in the regulations. In out-of-door games we have to obey all the regulations so we learn obeisance of regulations. We learn how to move with our comrade participants. In out-of-door games we learn sportsmanship and besides acquire the spirit of sportswoman so, we tolerate the triumph of the opposition party When we play out-of-door games we breathe in muss of fresh air and O which keeps us off from different sort of fatal diseaseaˆˆso it turn away one s head from all sort of tensenesss, jobs and concerns. Games are the of import beginning for the growing and development of head and organic structure. We acknowledge that sitting in forepart of video games, telecasting for hours and hours is non wellness good being out-of-doorss help our kids sleep more good. When they have played out-of-doorss we should non mind if our kids get soiled or foul due to playing out-of-doorss. We should promote them to play and prefer outdoor. The benefits of out-of-door drama can be found in both mentally and physically. We know the benefits, strength endurance and physiques coordination. Playing outside is a value able activity in many ways for babes, yearlings and kindergartners. It promotes their development. Babies, yearlings and kindergartners are centripetal nervus scholars. Besides all wellness benefits it stretches out kids cognition and thought. As grownups we know that we learn through making so we should admit that kids learn from gesture. Playing out-of-doorss cuts down emphasis in kids. Childr en express and work out emotional facets of every twenty-four hours experiences through unstructured drama. Children allowed to play freely with equals learn accomplishments for seeing things through another individual s position, collaborating, sharing, and work outing jobs. Outdoor games help us to command on different fatal diseases such as respiratory, bosom diseases and shot, high blood force per unit area, non insulin dependant, diabetes, fleshiness, back hurting osteoporosis and can better your temper, aid you to better manage emphasis, which besides keeps you off from different psychological issues. It keeps a individual off from smoking and other dependences which are bad for wellness. It deviates one s head from tensenesss, jobs and concerns. Outdoor games teach us different type of accomplishments which help us throughout our life and state us how to manage different type of state of affairs. It gives us assurance which adult male ever lacks and adult male ever need assurance in every state of affairs. It enhances our determination devising. It makes us crisp to pull strings the determination. We learn obeisance of regulations and Torahs, so it teaches us the subject. Tolerance is another factor which it gives us. When we are defeated by the opposite squad it teaches us the tolerance against the winning squad. It besides teaches us the sportsmanship passion and motive. When we are defeated it gives us passion and mark to win following clip. Peoples are so busy in their lives that do non cognize each other life in the same vicinity even they do non cognize their neighbours for old ages and old ages. So when people play together in squads so it gives us a better opportunity to cognize and to interact with each other. In a squad every participant has a different socio-culture background when participants meet each other they portion their moral values, beliefs and norms. Outdoor games bring integrity among people and supply a platform to interchange their civilization, tradition, imposts, positions, ideas and thoughts. Science has made a singular advancement in the field of engineering merely to supply comfort and to function humanity in a better manner. During the last few decennaries our society is confronting a serious job that our young person has involved excessively much in Bet oning at their places for hours and hours but it is really black for their wellness. As we know that Video games have been in being for last many decennaries and turning concerns about their negative influence are really high particularly harmonizing to study held in New York City that those Adolescents who play violent picture games over a figure of old ages become more aggressive and obstinate. Harmonizing to a recent research that violent picture games can alter the encephalon in merely one hebdomad and do participants more hostile and harsh. The most alarming state of affairs is that the offense rate is increasing phenomenally due to violent picture games we have most of the times what we have in those games for ca se bloodshed, monolithic violent deaths, bombardments, sex maltreatment and sexual contents. The biggest illustration of the game that stimulate greater force was the call of responsibility and Anders Breivik, the Norse who killed 77 people, claimed earlier this twelvemonth that he had played picture game Call of Duty to develop himself I have some recent illustrations which are adequate to turn out me right. A 13-year old male child jumped from the edifice s 24thA floor and committed self-destruction after playing War trade III for 36 hours directly. A adolescent went on a violent disorder and killed three work forces, two of them constabulary officers, after months of playing Grand Theft Auto A 17-year-old male killed his female parent and wounded his after they took Halo 3 off from him. A 15-year old ran off from place after his parents took his Xbox console off. His dead organic structure was found about a month after.1 Eric Harris and one of his freinds, Dylan Klebold killed 13 pupils at Columbine High School and so killed themselves on 20th of April 1999. Harmonizing to the statements of their female parents, both were large fans of the Doom, the first-person taw picture game. Is it excessively big of a spring in logic to infer that this violent picture game resulted the brace to execute this awful act of atrocity? 2 More than 130 researches have been carried on more than 130,000 participants around the universe ( Anderson et al. , 2010 ) . These studies prove that violent picture games increase aggressive thoughts, ferocious feelings, physiological stimulation, and aggressive behaviour. Violent games besides decrease helping behaviour and impressions of understanding for others.3 Child s who are really fond of playing video games became aggressive and violent. They were used to play video games and so seek to use those techniques in existent life which they applied in games for illustration if a child had played a racing game and did floating in it and acquire the compliment like Excellent, Nice e.t.c so he/she feels he/she was expert in it and he/she can make it in existent life excessively but when he make it in existent life it may do serious accident which may do his/her decease. It is said, Healthy organic structure creates a healthy head nevertheless, it is merely non possible for everyone to travel on making difficult work at surveies without a interruption. All clip difficult work and survey can ensue into great humdrum. Every pupil after a difficult work needs a alteration, some recreational activity etc and athleticss are the best for this intent. Outdoor games are every bit of import as surveies are. These games help a pupil to keep a good build and sound wellness. If a individual does non take portion in such sort of activities, this will non allow him/her to execute good in faculty members. Games and athleticss create a sense of leading, a sense of assurance in a pupil. At the terminal, out-of-door games are really of import in one s life. These games promote peace and harmoniousness among the people. A pupil must chiefly work hard on his surveies but he can non disregard games and athleticss. It is incorrect to state that playing games and athleticss is wastage of clip. Playing game is instead a originative use of clip but kids should non play violent games as by this he/she might became aggressive. Work CITED Measurements taken from New York times Published on 12 July, 2011 hypertext transfer protocol: //parrishco.com/academic/the-effect-of-violent-video-games-on-the-human-psyche/ Data retrieved on 25/12/2012. hypertext transfer protocol: //www.ithp.org/articles/violentvideogames.html Data retrieved on 25/12/2012.

Inventing a Product Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Inventing a Product - Research Proposal Example Their product is of the highest quality and contains Vitamin B12, caffeine, Taurine and Glucoronolactone (Company website). It tastes like most popular energy drinks but without the after taste. They have varied products on offer and all their products are sugar free. The company has now started to bottle and can its energy drink formula as a co-packer for smaller companies (PRP, 2008). Their main product is "Bag in a Box" energy drink concentrate which is mostly bought by bar owners, nightclubs, health clubs, restaurants and convenience stores. They have consumers from all income levels and all ages. They also have energy drink for children and for women. However for the current product the target audience include both men and women from ages 18 till 55 years. The younger segment visits the gym more often early morning. There are plenty of energy drink brands available in the market. While Red Bulkl is leading there are other brands that are available - Wired X3000, Power Trip Energy Drink, Bliss Energy Drink, Gorilla Juice Energy Drink, Zoom, Sobe Energy, XS Citrus Blast, Hype, Wild Bull, and Pitbull. The energy drink market was expected to reach $17bn in 2007 as the market is driven by growing consumer awareness for healthier lifestyles (Merrett, 2007). This segment is expected to grow by 33.7 percent. Thus despite competition and especially because the new product is focused on catering to the segment that exercise early morning, it is envisaged that competition would not be tough for this product. 2. Marketing Objectives 2.1 Short and long-term sales objectives Since this is an entirely new concept, the objective is to derive the early mover advantages. It is envisaged that the company would enter and capture a sizeable market before competition steps in. Eventually, the company intends to enter the global market and no obstacles are foreseen as the product is innovative and demand is huge due to changed lifestyles. The goal is to become market leaders in the energy drink market with wide variety of products on offer. 2.2 Profit generation This is one of the main objectives. It is expected to increase the net profits by about 25% in view of the innovative product and no competition. Besides, the brand is well known and hence the new segment can be easily captured. 3. Strategy The firm's strategy is to attract the existing customers through brand image. This would make the market penetration easier. Based on the innovative product benefits, the marketing strategy has been devised. 3.1 Product strategy3.1.1 Product name The new product that is being introduced has some distinctive features. It is especially meant for those who intend going to gym or swimming early morning. It is supposed to give the consumer a kick-start to the day. When an individual wakes up after 7 or 8 hours of sleep the body glycogen levels are low and during a workout he would using up stored up energy. Thus this product would be able to provide the needed energy early morning and hence the demand is expected to be high due to the demand for healthier lifestyles. This would be the product package with the company logo Samson Energy Drink trademark being same as for all the other products. The product is called Samson Fit which itself

Buyer Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Buyer Behavior - Essay Example Globalization has contributed to the complete transformation of the fashion industry coaxing the fashion magazines to cater to a wider consumer base, and include articles, editorials and fashion insights which are globally competent and relevant. Vogue and Elle, are two of the oldest and most esteemed brands in the world of fashion which have the power to influence societal ideologies through their articles and depiction of women’s fashion. The magazines’ primary goal of catering to the huge female customer base, and their association with known international brands, by way of advertisements and sponsors, have contributed to the creation of a unique brand image. Clothes represent identity and the fashion magazines such as Vogue and Elle bank on their grasp on the industry, to promote their respective products by indulging in aspirational marketing tactics, and endorsing the concept of self-esteem and image of their female consumers (Tungate, 2008; Easey, 2009). Fashion, in contemporary times has assumed greater significance, and has become an inevitable part of our cultural identities. Clothes today are not mere pieces of garment but symbols of one’s self-image, personality, status and values as well (Craik, 2009). Recently there has been a slight shift in the target market segment for fashion magazines, which initially catered to a young female consumer. Due to changing cultural ideologies, the concept of fashion which was invariably associated with youth and beauty, has now begun to accommodate a wider age group, as is apparent from the marketing strategy of Vogue. Beauty and fashion are no longer restricted to age younger age groups. High end magazines such as Vogue for instance, are breaking this cultural conundrum by catering to women... The study of consumer behaviour that is presented in this essay helps the management in establishing a marketing strategies and in marketing their products to the specific target markets identified in the process. As observed in the case of Vogue and Elle magazines, that are used as examples in this essay, the fashion magazines mostly cater to high end fashion conscious female consumers, hence the target market for both the magazines, more or less, comprise of consumers with similar characteristics. The buying behaviour of the consumers is influenced by their perception of self, which is used as a fundamental frame of reference while buying any brand or a product. The final decision to buy a product is influenced by matching this self image with the qualities endorsed by the brand. The premier fashion magazines, have also included innovative marketing tactics, that were described in the essay, such as including intelligently scripted editorial sections, and simultaneously retaining t heir lavish fashion spreads by way of adverts featuring high end lifestyle brands such as perfumes. Almost all the fashion magazines bank on the revenues from advertising as their primary source of cash inflows, their brand positioning and market segmentation strategies, are of key significance to both the fashion stalwarts. In conclusion, the researcher states that Vogue and Elle, have so far successfully stayed afloat in the industry which is growing at a rapid rate, thus indicating their successful marketing strategies.

Management - Elements of Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management - Elements of Decision Making - Essay Example Management helps to overcome these problems at the time of making any effective decision (Monahan, 2000). In this paper, the complex problem of ethical concerns especially in decision-making relating to quality assurance and determining competitive market price will be taken into concern. Ethical Concerns in Decision-Making Every managerial decision affects the performances of the organizations by a considerable level. In general, ethical concerns in decision-making involve conflicts of interest in which individuals had to select and implement their own ideas. The issues relating to shareholders, customers as well as companies can be considered as one of the important ethical concerns in decision-making. Moreover, the other imperative ethical concerns particularly in decision-making encompass misuse of available resources, intimidating behavior of the individuals, discrimination, environmental issues, fraud, intellectual property rights along with privacy related issues. It can be st ated these ethical concerns can harm the overall performances of a company by a greater extent (Ferrell, Fraedrich & Ferrell, 2012). Significant Areas of Ethical Concerns in Decision-Making There are certain crucial areas of ethical concerns in decision-making. ... In this competitive market, the organizations often face the challenge to provide quality products at a lesser price. The organizations must ensure the deliverance of quality products to their valuable customers by considering the significant ethical concern of price. The decision-making about the ethical concern towards pricing might support an organization to compete with its chief business market competitors at large (Harinder, Attracta, & Jimmie, 2004). Competitive Market Marketing decisions that undertakes by different organizations are considered to be quite uncertain. It has been viewed that the organizations determine competitive market price while offering their different products to the customers with the intention of attaining superior competitive position over the chief business market participants. With regard to the ethical concerns in decision-making, the organizations should remain fair in setting the prices of the products (Erkan & Tunker, 2007). Critical Evaluation From the overall analysis, it can be comprehended that management plays an imperative role in the process of decision-making. It possesses certain critical barriers that could be overcome. The decisions that adopts by the managers on behalf of an organization ultimately observed to affect the purchasing behavior of the customers and its overall performances. In relation to determine the ethical concern in decision-making, it is quite important for the business managers to keep in mind the interests of the people involved with the company. Apart from these, the organizations also need to keep in mind certain other major aspects that include issues related to business, production as well as marketing that will ultimately benefit the company in the long run. In addition, the

Ryanair: PESTEL and Porters Five Analysis

Ryanair: PESTEL and Porters Five Analysis 1.0 Introduction Ryanair is an Ireland based airline company and it involved in commercial aviation business since 1986, operating scheduled passenger airlines, serving short haul and point to point routes primarily between Ireland, Britain and Europe. It is the pioneers of low fare airline in Europe and even until now Ryanair is the only airline that offers cheapest air fare to passengers travel around Europe. Micheal OLeary is the CEO of Ryanair, holds 4.6% stake of the company, His dynamic low fare strategies along with the evolution of Ryanair have had led to burst of many budget airlines and some of them had been bought by Ryaniar around Europe, simply because of their inability to compete with Ryanair. European aviation industry is wider, but squeezed with many incumbents that are operating both short haul and long haul routes. As European short haul airline market segment is price sensitive, Ryanair handles no frills strategy and charges lowest price from its customers. In order to obtain bett er margin in the low fare demanding market Ryanair held in a position of cost leader and fundamental low fare strategy supports for rapid growth of its business. The strategic capabilities underpinned by its unique resources and core competences are the preliminary constituents for Ryanair to be a cost leader and offer low fares. This will be explained in detail under below topics about the feasibility of various strategic circumstances. 2.0 External Analysis: The analysis of Macro-environment explores core cause of factor; assess the nature of effects and immediacy. PESTEL analysis has been undertaken to evaluate the external environment of Ryanair. 2.1 PESTEL Analysis: (P)olitical/(L)egal factors: Preferential Treatment of home base airlines in some countries, at the same time they prevent thriving foreign companies and inflict them in more operational cost. Increased terrorists activities have prompted airline industry to tighten security measures and alleged terrorist plots will adversely affect flight turn-around time. Detrimental mental effects are also possible due to any terrorists plots targeted on Ryanair. The rapidly changing government rules and regulations are an inevitable legal factor for Ryanair. This will be discussed in detail under suppliers bargaining power. (E)conomic factors: The instability in fuel price cause major problem for airline industry. If they do not hedge, the fuel price hike is inevitable and they need to find cost savings in other spheres of business when the fuel price is soared. Ryanair was especially more vulnerable to fuel price rises in the past. For example: In the last quarter of 2008, when the fuel price was in its hike, Ryanair reported losses of $130 million dollar and it blamed a 71% increase in the price paid for fuel during the quarter due to the abnormal surge of fuel price of more than $ 1,100 a ton (K, Capel. Airline. The Telegraph, Feb 2 2009.). (E)nvironmental factors: As the world is heading towards more and more greener, all governments taking appropriate measures to control greenhouse gases from carbon emission which would lead to catastrophic human and economic consequences. Ryanair has network virtually in all European countries, so it is more vulnerable to all EU environmental rules and regulations. The mounting pressure on EU laws to tax aviation fuel and anticipated charges on environmental pollution by airlines would have direct impact to Ryanair. (T)echnological factors: Technological factors such as internet, innovative developments in telecommunications such as video conferencing, instant messaging, web conferencing etc. will mean less need for travel, especially on scenarios such as business meetings. 3.0 Industry environment: 3.1 Segmentation and positioning: Ryanair is positioned in the lowest fare segment and has least customer experience among other budget airlines in the European market. The market segment for its rivalries is broader with larger geographical area including operations to main airports, whereas Ryanairs networks are limited only to low cost secondary airports with smaller geographical area. Ryanair predominantly focuses on only people who are desperate for low fare and it has no separate segment for people who want luxury service or business class. Despite, Ryanairs continuous traffic growth, shows that the people wanting low fare in European market are tremendous and European market is for the low fare short-haul carriers. Perhaps, high air fare carriers neither cope up nor sustain against low fare carriers. The competitive position is deeply elaborated in section 3.2. 3.2 Porters five forces: Industry environment analysis figures out the foreseeing competitive pressure in European aviation and the profitability of the industry likely to be in future. It explores the magnitude impact of Threat of substitutes, Threat of Entrants, Rivalries in European market, bargaining power of supplier and bargaining power of customers. Rivalries: The high rivalry impacts for Ryanair are from Easy Jet, Air Lingus, Lufthansa, Iberia, SAS, Airfrance, KLM and Air Lingus. Few airlines (Easy Jet, Air lingus and Lufthansa) the first three of them are roughly more or less equal in size to Ryanair and some of their performances are even better in terms of customer service. This is considered as a significant threat to Ryanair. Despite, among all short-haul carriers Ryanair is the cost leader with having highest market share in the European market. Although Ryanair has firmly improving its competitive advantage, the core strategy of the company is to maintain the operational cost as minimum and offer low fare to customers, which is virtually same among its rivalries, but the outstanding scenario is Ryanair constantly creates new paths to bring down the operational cost . Threat of New Entrants: The short haul no frill airline market is a highly profitable business in Europe so far, while long haul market in Europe is experiencing huge losses like Air Lingus long haul airlines. So, the business scope in the short-haul market may attract new entrants. Although, European airline industry is de-regulated and open for both national and international companies, Airline business is not something like setting up a dot.com with minimum capital in anticipated profit. Hefty capital investment is required to acquire route, fleet, set up flight maintenance centre, building infrastructure etc in order to establish an operation. Industry knowledge and time associated with entry are significant for companies that want to start short haul airline business in Europe from other industries such as tourism and Rail way etc, but for airline companies from some other market like Asia, South America, North America and Australia can trace out the European market in some extent and such huge investm ents also may be affordable for them. Threat of substitutes: The threat of substitute is possible threat for Ryanairs traffic growth as passengers tendency to switch to other means of transport such as buses, trains and cruise. This kind of threat has medium effect over Ryanair, despite, the ubiquity of other means of transport to travel across European countries. Particularly rapid growth of railway network is considered to be a most influential substitute for short haul air travel across Europe. Congestion in airports and difficulties (such as boarding, airport journey) involved in air travel could cause passengers more likely to choose railway. Some government like U.K is substantially funding for the expansion of high-speed rail networks to and from Europe, especially to curb short haul carriers through heavier taxation due to the pressure arising from the environmental groups to cut down carbon emission by domestic aviation. The government intervention to establish better rail links in other countries such as France, Germany and the Nethe rlands is more vulnerable to Ryanairs routes in those countries (Dan Milmo 2009. The Guardian. 5th Aug). Bargaining power of supplier: Aircraft Supplier: In aviation Boeing and Airbus plays duopoly in manufacturing passenger aircrafts. Boeing is the main aircraft supplier for Ryanair, since its establishment. In terms of supplier bargaining power, Ryanair holds significant scale of power over Boeing, as it can easily switch to Airbus anytime in-case of high price charged by Boeing. The recent Micheal O Learys announcement of negotiation with Air Lingus evidenced the high bargaining power over its Aircraft supplier (Sarah Arnott., 2008. Ryanair looks to order 400 aircraft in plans for massive expansion. The Independent, 8th Aug.). Airports: The enforcement of new rules and regulations by airport authorities are inevitable, eventually they have more control on their bases with both short haul and long carriers airlines operating in any government airports. Ryanair has been either strongly protesting or recklessly withdrawing and switching its routes to alternative airports, at bases wherever it is experiencing significant problems. For example: Recently Manchester Airports Group refused to bring down its prices, which resulted Ryanair to pull nine out of its ten Manchester routes(Sarah Arnott., 2009. Price dispute sees Ryanair cut nearly all Manchester flights. The Independent, 18th Aug.). So, Ryanair can switch its destinations easily in case of its bargain does not take lead. Ryanair holds substantial power in the other spheres of suppliers such as staff recruitment agency, food providers and ancillary product suppliers etc due to substantial availability of those kind of suppliers in the market. Bargaining power of customer: European market is almost saturated with many airline companies including premium services to economy classes. Bargaining power of customers is high as low budget airline a commodity today and presence of more substitutes in European market. Ryanair had shrunken the bargaining leverage to its bottom with no other airlines could possibly offer such low fares, as the result that Ryanair is having extra-ordinary performance in traffic growth consistently year by year, but this growth is uncertain if Ryanair pushes its fare up. More people travelling on Ryanair, because they like the fare and can easily afford it. 3.3 Value Networks and Business Partners: It is necessary to analyse value creating areas in Ryanairs Industry value chain, which consolidates it competitive advantage by delivering those precious values to customers. According to porter, 1985, Value chain of any organization comprises of two activities, primary and secondary activities. Primary activities are directly concerned with delivery of service and that includes inbound logistics, operation, outbound logistics, marketing, sales and services. The support activities include administrative infrastructure management, human resource management, technology and procurement. Inbound logistics: Stock control of Food, beverages and Ancillary sale items: Although, Ryanair is a no frills airline, it is making huge profit through the sales of food, beverages and Ancillary items. Ryanair manages strong relationship with various foods and beverages suppliers, in-order to receive quality standard goods and on time delivery, which adds value throughout its value chain. Route selection and airport base: Ryanair only selects low cost route with the anticipation of traffic growth. Ryanair has strong relationship with various airport authorities around Europe, thus they provide subsidies in exchange for high traffic and low fares. Jet fuel: This is the most significant input that Ryanair has to scrutinize, as jet fuel contributes around half of the operating cost. Well hedged contracts will minimise cost, so recent hedging arrangements adds value to get control of fuel cost in some extent. Aircrafts and Maintenance: Deployment of single type aircraft Boeing 737-800. Operation: Ryanairs operational activities includes passenger check-In, loading ancillary and catering items in the flights, baggage check-In, Hospitality, In-flight services and daily flight operations. Contemporary online check-in system reduces cost associated with staff and avoids passenger queues in airports, thus it provides convenient journey for passengers. This adds value by enabling quick turnover of flights and prompt minimum waiting time of flights at airports. Additionally, Ryanair has contractors at certain airports for ticketing, passengers and aircraft handling (Includes loading various goods into aircraft) as well as for engine repairs and heavy maintenance at competitive rates. (Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 10 Jan, 2010) This third party contracts are more cost-efficient than Ryanair perform these activities itself. Productivity-based incentives, this includes sales bonuses for on-board sale of products by flight attendance to increase ancillary revenue through reward mechanism and pilots are remunerated based on number of hours or sectors flown, which c uts unnecessary staff cost. Ryanair facilitate the usage of onboard mobile and electronic device for its passengers in order to add value for customers. Marketing, Sales, Services and Outbound Logistics: Ryanair advertise its seasonal fares and other company related commercial advertisements on its fleet with zero advertisement costs. Furthermore special ticket offers are being advertised on its website to promote sales. In order to curb substantial operational cost and tackle high number of booking, Ryanair has introduced new Online Reservation System in addition to the host system. The system new has been provided and maintained by an outside contractor, Navaitire. (Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 5, Jan, 2010) It adds value for passengers by increasing system speed and avoid Ryanair is being on exposure to the risk of resolving system failure issues. There is no sales agent commission adds value on passengers fare and it adds value in terms of the distribution cost aggregate nearly to zero and convenient journey for passengers. Online baggage claiming system for baggage l ost passengers, which adds value to passengers as it is an easy way to claim their bags. 4.0 Resources and Capabilities: 4.1 Resources: Resources allocation and capabilities development are the source to gain competitive advantage for a company, while the market and environment establish constraints and pressures. Resources of Ryanair are basically what it holds as productive assets and can be differentiated into three different forms, tangible, intangible and human resources. Capabilities are what it can achieve by exploiting opportunities in the external environment and efficient deployment of its unique resources that exist within the company to achieve competitive advantage. Tangible Resource: Ryanair had 181 aircrafts in operation as of March, 21, 2009, among which 109 aircrafts were funded by The Export and Import Bank, 43 aircrafts were in operating lease, 20 of the aircraft in the fleet were treated as financially leased by Japanese operating leases with call options, 6 of the aircraft in the fleet were encumbered with commercial debt financing and three remaining aircrafts are entirely owned by Ryanair without any finance related encumbrances. Ryanair also owns and operates six Boeing 737-800 flight simulators for the purpose of pilot training. All the above are long-lived assets virtually all of them were aircraft totalled to 3.6 billion Euros. [Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 4 Jan 2009]. Even though many aircraft are encumbrances, ownership accompanied with the bank loan gives greater independency and financially the cost involved in leasing arrangements i s higher than being owner of aircraft. In addition to aircraft, administration offices in Dublin and East Midlands Airport, simulator and training centres are entirely owned by Ryanair. It also has leasehold property in eight airports for the purpose of flight maintenance and an office building in Dublin Airport Business Park. The recent investment of 702 million Euros for the purchase of property, plant and equipment in 2008 is remarkable. [Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 4 Jan 2009]. Ryanair serves over 1000 routes across Europe and Morocco from 40 airport bases, which is considered to be high in numbers compare to its rivalries. (http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2010/q3_2010_doc.pdf, accessed on: 15th Jan 2010). Airport bases served by Ryanair are ultimately considered as strategic assets due to its low cost. Financial Resources: The huge cash reserves held in the company of over 2.5 billion Euros will allow having abundant cash flow for its operation. Cash pile would financially leverage to take strategic decision in future expansion of business. Ryanair holds 93.15 million Euros worth of available-for-sale financial assets, which are not considered as an investment in an associate company due to insufficient power of Ryanair to influence over the investee. And also, Ryanair is the biggest investor on its rivalry Aer Lingus with the acquired stake of 29.8% of Aer Linguss share capital through private acquisition with the total aggregate cost of 407.2 million Euros. Ryanairs long term debt totalled to 2398.40 million as of 2009 annual report, which is an increase of 131.9 million from 2008 annual report. The latest debt increase is primarily due to financing of new aircraft, which will be delivered within two years as per the schedule. [Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 4 Jan 2009]. Intangible resources: Ryanairs climbing traffic growth and established brand name are most consolidated and valuable intangible assets for the company that embedded in its relentlessly flowing low fare strategies to make huge profit. In terms of operational prospective, minimum aircraft age of 3.77 years average age of all its Boeing 737-800s is a unique intangible asset and no aircraft is more than 9 years old. The company also holds considerable intangible asset of landing rights that flows future benefit into the company. Human Resources: There are 6616 staffs working at Ryanair as of March 2009, this includes 1041 additional experienced pilots contracted from employment agencies to satisfy short term pilot requirements. The employees figure is constantly increasing year by year due to rapid expansion of the company. Ryanairs top management comprises of eight boards of directors, all of them are having more than 7 years of experience with the company and their remuneration including different share options scheme are available and based on experience, as well as their job position. David Bonderman, Chairman of the Board and Director, who has served more than 13 years with the company. CEO and Director of Ryanair, Micheal OLeary is the most valuable human resources in the company and he has been successfully leading the company for nearly two decades, as CEO since 1994. (Ryanair, 2004. Annual Report 2008-2009. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ryanair.com/doc/investor/2009/Annual_report_2009_web.pdf. [Accessed 20 Jan, 2010]). 4.2 Capabilities: In this section, we will discuss about the special knowledge and a skill possessed by Ryanair in order to gain competitive advantage and the key success factors that positioned the company as cost leader. The companys innovative pioneer strategies to keep the operating cost low and its ability to carrying passengers at lowest fare demand are the special capabilities it posses. Apart from these, the table below contains Ryanairs last three years operational data up to March 2009, which will demonstrate the operational capabilities during that period. The average yield per revenue passenger mile and average yield per available seat miles are decreased in 2009 due to the intense competition and further reduction of average booked passenger fare by approximately 4 Euros compare to the previous years. Yield management is crucial for airlines as the gross profit of the company mainly depends on it, so achieving better yield would perhaps maximise Ryanairs profit. The fares of Ryanair need to be continuously monitored in a way that would create demand, at the same time that would maximise companys profit. Ryanair has only little control over the fuel fluctuations like many other airlines, so increase in fuel cost is an unavoidable increase in operating expenses. The remarkable factor is the recent fuel hedging arrangements increased Ryanairs power to some extent to influence those cost aroused due to high fuel price. The next factor is cost per available seat miles, which is operating cost by available seat miles. This is one of the mo st success factors that gain competitive advantage for Ryanair, as it always being low compared to all other short haul airlines in Europe. In the table above, the increase in the operating cost in 2009 is mainly due to the rise in fuel cost. The low fare strategy is embedded in the companys capability and it is most valuable for the company by creating demand for its service. The constantly increasing load factors year by year, while the average booked passenger fare is decreasing indicates that the unique capability of Ryanair to make the traffic grow and how well it filling its seats through creating demand by stretching its fare to lowest possible. So the increased load factor is mainly due to decrease in the fares. One of the main mottos of companys CEO, Micheal OLearys is to maximise profit through selling ancillary products. Ryanair is the highest ancillary revenue making airline in Europe, which add extra profit for the company. Motivating cabin crews through commissions to sell ancillary product, consistently increasing and introducing various ancillary products and having many commission based related business are the main source for ancillary revenue. The number of airport served and average flight utilisation hours are some other measurable capabilities of Ryanair. The best service to the passengers in terms of punctuality of its flights and less baggage missing scenarios are in Top Priorities and it makes competitive advantage for Ryanair in its operation. In fact it has the policy of publishing its customer service statistics every month to show the leads from its competitors. The table below shows that the Ryanairs capability in terms of punctuality, Bags handling and journey completions among its few rivalries. 4.3 Strength and intellectual assets: All routes are point to point rather than transitional. Although it is easy to establish point to point routes for a short haul carrier, it enhances convenient journey to the passengers. Ryanair has entered into fuel hedging arrangements followed by the huge losses on 2008. The unprecedented hedging arrangements will provide substantial protection against fluctuations in fuel prices, generally through forwarding contracts covering certain periods in the future. Ancillary services including non-flight scheduled such as Car hire, Hotels, Travel Insurance, in-flight sales, rail and bus ground transport services in its business model adds extra revenue for the company. Ryanair has direct sales channels; the only way to book ticket nowadays is via the website or via Ryanair direct call centre. It helps to take out sale agents commission and special offers would directly reach the customers without any discrepancies. Ryanair has been deploying Boeing 737-800s, same fleet community in all its routes. The company can save training cost as all staffs are only be trained for one type of aircraft and also saves on maintenance supplies and labour as only one type of parts and skills needed. High seat density of 189 seats per aircraft accommodates more passengers (compare to its older version Boeing 737-200A, which had only 130 seats per aircraft) and it tends to extra revenue for the company. The use of Secondary Airport with frequent transport medium to populated cities for the purpose to keep its airport charges low and for high turnaround times. The well known scattered strategy of no frills such as, free food, drink, and lounges etc 4.5 Weakness: Even though its fares are far cheaper than any other airlines in Europe, it is being severely criticised by many people for its extravagant hidden charges. The basic reason for this criticism is advertising fares without the disclosure of most basic inevitable charges such as, taxes, online check-In or airport check-In charge(which is outrageously costlier than the online check-In), card surcharge other than master card (only possible way to pay as the booking can feasibly done through either website or call centre), administration fee etc Ryanairs deliberate controversial advertisements and statements by its CEO such as charging one pound to use the toilets in flight, are practically generate additional free publicity for the airline, but significantly it depletes brand reputation and it often perceived as bad impression among peoples mind. The poor customer service by its staffs employed and disgrace treatment of passengers by its CEO, Micheal O Leary and the company are misleading companys reputation for not even providing the basic services and rudeness involved in customer query replies are the weakness that embedded in its system. According to the comments analysed from 280 websites, Ryanair came bottom of the ranking with minus 40 points. Poor customer service and extra cost the airline charge for check-in bags are the major complaints. [Lisa Minot, 2008. Sun Air News: Ryanair suffer Over Service. The Sun, 2nd Aug.] The company is heavily addicted for traffic growth and rivalry led in European short haul market. Because of that growth, Ryanair is not able to identify the reputation and loyalty in its brand among passengers. 5.0 Strategic situation: Perhaps, I have mentioned about 2.5 billion cash reserves in its financial resources. It has announced plans of start paying dividend from its cash pile to their shareholder from 2013. (Sarah Arnott, 2010. Ryanair to pay dividend from 2013. The independent, 8th Jan). Instead of paying dividend out of its cash reserves or by using companys profit, it should decide to deploy its cash reserves in its on-holding strategy towards long haul routes. The company will get significant future growth by launching long-haul transatlantic routes. According to CEO, Micheal O Learys statement, if Ryanair introduces long haul routes from Europe to six US destinations, two segments of seat will be offered, one lowest unprecedented economic class and ever high fare business class with extravagant services. This rational strategy will generate huge profit by luring middle economic-class passengers; perhaps transatlantic passengers will want something cheaper in their tickets. The cheapest fare no frill for economic class passengers with onboard sale of everything from breakfast to dinner, beverage to entertainment would create substantial ancillary revenue. In spite the airline destinations must be in populated area or rich cities such as Chicago Midway Airport, Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport etc to fill up business class seats, Otherwise there is no logic in adding business class seats in long haul routes. Alternatively, it can choose rural destinations in US, but the business class passengers firmly transited to populated cities without any delay and inconveniency by having alliance with US luxury short haul carriers. Although, I have mentioned Ryanairs 29.8% stake over Aer Lingus, its first bid in 2006 to acquire entire share capital of Aer Lingus was firstly blocked by European commission on competition grounds and the second bid in 2007 was also failed after the Irish Government (25% stack holder on Aer Lingus) said Ryanair undervalued the company, while the offer totalled  £701 million. So, Ryanair is not yet planned to make any further bid in recent future, rather it aims to boost its cash reserves. [Pilita, C, Vincent, B, 2010. Third Ryanair bid for Aer Lingus unlikely. Financial Times, 7th Jan.] Perhaps, the acquired stakes consolidate its financial position over Aer Lingus for convenient takeover in the future, in case of any failure or the acceptance of further bid by Aer Lingus. In consideration to Ryanairs future growth in the existing market and anticipated transatlantic expansion, it has to press hard for a horizontal integration over Aer Lingus by raising the offer price from its last bid of  £701 million. The acquisition of Aer Lingus is more likely to see tremendous expansion in European market by acquiring market share and implementing low cost operating strategy over it rivalry. In a situation when a competitor disappears in the market, the competition gets ease for some instance. The acquisition also allow Ryanair to get easy access into the transatlantic routes, as Aer Lingus already operating flights to some major airports in the United States such as, Houston (HOU), Houston (IAH), Indianapolis (IND), Columbus (CMH) and San Francisco (SNF) etc 6.0 Strategic Choice: Identification: The first choice what I suggest is Ryanair can expand its market through Related Diversification by the launch of new international routes from Europe to Selected Asian countries, such as India, Malaysia and Singapore. Ryanair will be able to grow its traffic by selecting core destinations such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Chennai and New Delhi in India, Kualalampur in Malayasia and Singapore. In the other end, Ryanair would be able to cover travellers and tourists from all European countries by setting up transit hubs in selected airports in Europe such as Frankfurt, Madrid, Milan, Glasgow and Dublin (So, flights from the new market will land in those transit hubs and then passengers can reach their end destination by Ryanairs local network flights through transit from these airport) travelling to our selected destinations in Asia, as it already has firm and established operation in Europe. The above selected strategic choice would be demonstrated under Ansoff Strategic Direction Matrix Market/product choices. According to Ansoff Matrix (developed by Igor Ansoff, 1957) the above selected business is launching of new service in new market, so it will be categorized under Diversification. Although, Ryanair has an on-holding plan of introducing transatlantic routes, but not yet lunged, the new strategic choice is to flourish market share in developing nations. The assumed service in those markets is clearly business to consumer type of activity, as Ryanair directly engaged in carrying passengers or providing service directly to the customers. Ryanairs main targeting customer segment in the above three countries are tourists and passengers who are looking for low fares, as well as high fare over luxury service. The differentiations in fares with price premium for passengers perceive it as on luxury segment and without price premium for passengers perceive cost benefit under low fare segment. All the three countries are developing nations with low income, middle class and rich people. Among them, people who afford to travel to Europe are

Night World : Spellbinder Chapter 2

The crowd erupted in panic. Everything was happening at once; Thea couldn't sort out the different impressions. Half the people in front of her were running. The other half were yelling. â€Å"Call nine-one-one-â€Å" â€Å"It got Eric-â€Å" â€Å"I told you to kill it!† The red-headed boy was darting forward with his stick. Other kids were rushing around, looking for rocks. The group had become a mob. The snake was rattling wildly, a terrifying sizzling sound. It was in a frenzy, ready to strike again at any moment-and there was nothing Thea could do. â€Å"Hey!† The voice startled her. It came from Eric, the boy who'd been bitten. â€Å"Calm down, you guys. Josh, give me that.† He was talking to the redhead with the forked branch. â€Å"It didn't bite me. It just struck.† Thea stared at him. Was this guy crazy? But people were listening to him. A girl in baggy shorts and a midriff top stopped hefting her rock. â€Å"Just let me get hold of it†¦ then I can take it out into the brush where it won't hurt anybody.† Definitely crazy. He was talking in such a matter-of-fact, reasonable way-and he was going to try to pin the snake down with that stick. Somebody had to act fast. A flash of ruby-color caught Thea's eye. Blaise was in the crowd, watching with pursed lips. Thea made her decision. She dove for the snake. It was watching the stick. Thea grabbed for its mind before grabbing its body-which kept it immobilized for the instant she needed to seize it just below the head. She hung on while its jaws gaped and its body lashed. â€Å"Grab the tail and we'll get it out of here,† she said breathlessly to Eric the crazy guy. Eric was staring at her grip on the snake, dumbfounded. â€Å"For God's sake, don't let go. It can twist in a second†¦.† â€Å"I know. Grab it!† He grabbed it. Most of the crowd scattered as Thea wheeled around with the snake's head held tightly at arm's length. Blaise didn't run, she just looked at the snake as if it smelled bad. â€Å"I need this,† Thea whispered hastily as she passed her cousin. She snatched at Blaise's necklace with her free hand. The fragile gold chain broke and Thea's fingers closed around a stone. Then she was heading out into the scrub brush, the weight of the snake dragging on her arm. She walked fast, because Eric didn't have much time. The grounds behind the school sloped up and then downward, getting wilder and more gray-brown. When the buildings were out of sight, Thea stopped. â€Å"This is a good place,† Eric said. His voice was strained. Thea glanced back and saw that he looked pale. Brave and very, very crazy, she thought. â€Å"Okay, we let go on three.† She jerked her head. â€Å"Throw it that way and back up fast.† He nodded and counted with her. â€Å"One†¦ two†¦ three.† Giving it a slight swing, they both let go. The snake flew in a graceful arc and landed near a clump of purple sage. It wriggled immediately into the brush without showing the slightest hint of gratitude. Thea felt its cool, scaly mind recede as it thought, That smell†¦ that shade†¦ safety. She let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Behind her, she heard Eric sit down abruptly. â€Å"Well, that's that.† His own breathing was fast and irregular. â€Å"Now could I ask you a favor?† He was sitting with his long legs straight out, his skin even paler than before. Perspiration beaded on his upper lip. â€Å"You know, I'm not really sure it didn't bite me,† he said. Thea knew-and knew Eric knew-that it had. Rattlers did sometimes strike without biting, and did sometimes bite without injecting venom. But not this time. What she couldn't believe was that any human would care enough about a snake to let a bite go untreated. â€Å"Let me see your leg,† she said. â€Å"Actually, I think maybe you'd better just call the paramedics.† â€Å"Please let me see.† She kept her voice gentle, kneeling in front of him, reaching slowly. The way she'd approach a scared animal. He held still, letting her roll up his jeans leg. There it was, the little double wound in the tanned skin. Not much blood. But surrounded by swelling already. Even if she ran back to the school, even if the paramedics broke every speed law, it wouldn't be fast enough. Sure, they'd save his life, but his leg would swell up like a sausage and turn purple and he'd have days of unbelievable pain. Except that Thea had in her hand an Isis bloodstone. A deep red carnelian engraved with a scarab, symbol of the Egyptian Queen goddess, Isis. The ancient Egyptians had put the stones at the feet of mummies; Blaise used it to heighten passion. But it was also the most powerful purifier of the blood in existence. Eric groaned suddenly. His arm was over his eyes, and Thea knew what he must be feeling. Weakness, nausea, disorientation. She felt sorry for him, but his confusion would actually work to her advantage. She pressed her hand to the wounds, the carnelian hidden between her tightly closed fingers. Then she started to hum under her breath, visualizing what she wanted to happen. The thing about gems was that they didn't work on their own. They were just a means of raising psychic power, focusing it, and directing it to a certain purpose. Find the poison, surround it, dispel it. Purify and eliminate. Then encourage the body's natural defenses. Finally, soothe away the swelling and redness, sending the blood back where it belonged. As she knelt there, feeling the sun on the back of her head, she suddenly realized that she'd never done this before. She'd healed animals-puppies with toad poisoning and cats with spider bites-but never a person. Funny how she'd known instinctively that she could do it. She'd almost felt that she had to do it. She sat back on her heels, pocketing the bloodstone. â€Å"How are you feeling?† â€Å"Huh?† He took his arm away from his eyes. â€Å"Sorry-I think I sort of blanked out there for a minute.† Good, Thea thought. â€Å"But how do you feel now?† He looked at her as if he were struggling under pressure to be gentle. He was going to explain to her that people who got bitten by rattlesnakes felt sick. But then his expression changed. â€Å"I feel†¦ it's weird†¦ I think maybe it's gone numb.† He peered doubtfully at his calf. â€Å"No, you were just lucky. You didn't get bitten.† â€Å"What?† He scrambled to roll his jeans leg up higher. Then he just stared. The flesh was smooth and unmarked, with just the slightest trace ot redness left. â€Å"I was sure†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He lifted his eyes to hers. It was the first time Thea had really gotten a chance to look at him. He was a nice-looking guy, lean and sandy-haired and sweet-faced. Long legs. And those eyes†¦ deep green with gray flecks. Just now they were both intense and bewildered, like those of a startled kid. â€Å"How'd you do that?† he said. Thea was shocked speechless. He wasn't supposed to respond like this. What was wrong with him? When she could talk again, she said, â€Å"I didn't do anything.† â€Å"Yes, you did,† he said, and now his eyes were clear and direct, full of an odd conviction. Suddenly his expression changed to something like wonder. â€Å"You†¦ there's something so different about you.† He leaned forward slowly, as if entranced. And then†¦ Thea experienced an odd duality. She was used to seeing herself through the eyes of animals: a big, hairless creature in false skins. But now she saw herself as Eric saw her. A kneeling girl with yellow hair falling loose over her shoulders and soft brown eyes. A face that was too gentle, with a very worried expression. â€Å"You're†¦ beautiful,† Eric said, still wondering. â€Å"I've never seen anybody†¦ but it's like there's a mist all around you. You're so mysterious†¦.† A huge quivering stillness seemed to hang over the desert. Thea's heart was beating so hard that it shook her body. What was happening? â€Å"It's like you're part of everything out here,† he said in that wise, childlike voice. â€Å"You belong to it. And there's so much peace†¦.† â€Å"No,† Thea said. There was no peace at all in her. She was terrified. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew she had to get away. â€Å"Don't go,† he said, when she shifted. He had the stricken expression of a heartbroken puppy. And then†¦ he reached for her. Not roughly. His fingers didn't close on her wrist. They just brushed the back of her hand, sliding away when she jerked. But it didn't matter. That light touch had raised all the hairs on Thea's forearm. And when she looked back into the gray-flecked green eyes, she knew he'd felt it, too. A sort of piercing sweetness, a dizzying exhilaration. And-a connection. As if something deeper than words was being communicated. I know you. I see what you see†¦. Almost without knowing what she was doing, Thea raised her hand. Fingertips slightly outspread, as if she were going to touch a mirror or a ghost. He brought his hand up, too. They were staring at each other. And then, just before then- fingers made contact, Thea felt a jolt of panic like ice water. What was she doing? Had she lost her mind? Suddenly everything was clear-too clear. Her future stretched out before her, every detail sharp. Death for breaking Night World law. Herself centered in the Inner Circle, trying to explain that she hadn't meant to betray their secrets, that she hadn't meant to†¦ to get close to a human. That it was all a mistake, just a moment of stupidity because she'd wanted to heal him. And them bringing the Cup of Death anyway. The vision was so clear it seemed like a prophecy. Thea jumped up as if the ground had lurched underneath her, and she did the only thing she could think of to do. She said scathingly, â€Å"Are you nuts? Or is your brain just overheated or something?† He got the stricken look again. He's a human. One of them, Thea reminded herself. She put even more scorn in her voice. â€Å"I'm part of everything; I did something to your leg†¦ yeah, sure. I bet you believe in Santa Claus, too.† Now he looked shocked-and uncertain. Thea went for the coup de gras. â€Å"Or were you just trying to put the moves on me?† â€Å"Huh? No,† he said. He blinked and looked around. The desert was the ordinary desert, gray-green and parched and flat. Then he looked at his leg. He blinked again, as if getting a fresh grip on reality. â€Å"I†¦ look, I'm sorry if I upset you. I don't know what's wrong with me.† Suddenly he gave a sheepish smile. â€Å"Maybe I'm kind of weird from being scared. I guess I'm not as brave as I thought.† Relief trickled through Thea. He was buying it. Thank Isis that humans were stupider than chickens. â€Å"And I wasn't trying to move in on you. I just-† He broke off. â€Å"You know, I don't even know your name.† â€Å"Thea Harman.† â€Å"I'm Eric Ross. You're new here, aren't you?† â€Å"Yes.† Stop talking and go, she ordered herself. â€Å"If I can show you around or anything†¦ I mean, I would like to see you again†¦.† â€Å"No,† Thea said flatly. She would have liked to have kept it to that monosyllable, but she wanted to crush this new idea of his completely. â€Å"I don't want to see you,† she said, too rattled to think of any more subtle way to put it. And then she turned and walked away. What else was there to do? She certainly couldn't talk to him anymore. Even if she would always wonder why he'd been crazy enough to care about the snake, she couldn't ask. From now on she had to stay as far away from him as possible. She hurried back to the school-and realized immediately that she was late. The parking lot was quiet. Nobody was walking outside the adobe buildings. On my first day, too, Thea thought. Her backpack was on the ground where she'd dropped it, a notebook lying beside it on the asphalt. She grabbed them both and all but ran to the office. It was only in physics class, after she'd handed her admission slip to the teacher and walked past rows of curious eyes to an empty seat in the back, that she realized the notebook wasn't hers. It fell open to a page that had Introduction to Flat-worms scribbled in sloping, spiky blue ink. Below were some pictures labeled Class Turbellaria and Class Trematoda. The worms were beautifully drawn, with their nervous systems and reproductive organs shaded in different colors of highlighter, but the artist had also given them big goofy smiling faces. Grotesque but lovable in a cross-eyed way. Thea turned the page and saw another drawing, the Life Cycle of the Pork Tapeworm. Yum. She leafed back to the beginning of the notebook. Eric Ross, Honors Zoology I. She shut the book. Now how was she going to get it back to him? Part of her mind worried about this through physics and her next class, computer applications. Part of it did what it always did at a new school, or any new gathering of humans: it watched and cataloged, keeping alert for danger, figuring out how to fit in. And part of it simply said, I didn't know they had a zoology class here. The one question she didn't want to ask herself was what had happened out there in the desert? Whenever the thought came up, she pushed it away brusquely. It must have had something to do with her senses being too open after merging with the snake. Anyway, it hadn't meant anything. It had been a weird one-time fluke. In the main hallway at break, Blaise came rushing up, quick as a lioness despite the high heels. â€Å"How's it going?† Thea said, as Blaise drew her into a temporarily deserted classroom. Blaise just held out her hand. Thea fished in her pocket for the carnelian. â€Å"You ruined the chain, you know,† Blaise said as she shook back midnight hair and examined the stone for damage. â€Å"And it was one I designed.† â€Å"Sorry. I was in a hurry.† â€Å"Yes, and why? What did you want with it?† Blaise didn't wait for a response. â€Å"You healed that boy, didn't you? I knew he got bitten. But he was human.† â€Å"Reverence for life, remember?† Thea said. † ‘An ye harm none, do as you will.† She didn't say it with much conviction. â€Å"That doesn't mean humans. And what did he think?† â€Å"Nothing. He didn't know I was healing him; he didn't even realize he got bitten.† It wasn't exactly a lie. Blaise looked at her with smoky, suspicious gray eyes. Then she glanced heavenward and shook her head. â€Å"Now if you'd been using it to heat his blood, I'd understand. But maybe you were doing a little of that, too†¦.† â€Å"No, I was not,† Thea said. And despite the warmth that rose in her cheeks her voice was cold and sharp. The horror of that death vision was still with her. â€Å"In fact, I don't ever want to see him again,† she went on jaggedly, â€Å"and I told him so, but I've got his stupid notebook, and I don't know what to do with it.† She waved the notebook in Blaise's face. â€Å"Oh.† Blaise considered, head on one side. â€Å"Well†¦ I'll take it to him for you. I'll track him down somehow.† â€Å"Would you?† Thea was startled. â€Å"That's really nice.† â€Å"Yes, it is,† Blaise said. She took the notebook, handling it carefully, as if her nails were wet. â€Å"Okay, well, I'd better get to my next class. Algebra.† She made a face. † ‘Bye now.† Suspicion struck as Thea watched her go. Blaise wasn't usually so accommodating. And that † ‘bye now†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ too sweet. She was up to something. Thea followed the ruby of Blaise's shirt as Blaise went back into the main hallway, then turned without hesitation into a locker-lined corridor. There, searching through one of the lockers, was a lean figure with long legs and sandy hair. Fastest tracking I've ever seen, Thea thought sourly. She peered around the Mediterranean-blue door of a broken locker. Blaise walked up behind Eric very slowly, hips swaying. She put a hand on his back. Eric jumped slightly, then turned around. Blaise just stood there. It was all she needed to do. Blaise reeled guys in just by being. It was the glorious dark hair, the smoldering gray eyes†¦ plus a figure that could stop traffic on the freeway. Curves galore, and clothes that emphasized every one. On another girl it might have been too much, but on Blaise it was just breathtaking. Guys who thought they liked the waif look dropped everything to follow her just as fast as guys who thought they liked blonds. Eric blinked at her, looking hazy already. He didn't seem to know what to say. That wasn't unusual. Guys always got tongue-tied around Blaise. â€Å"I'm Blaise Harman.† The voice was low and liquid. â€Å"And you're†¦ Eric?† Eric nodded, still blinking. Yes, he's dazed all right, Thea thought. The jerk. She was surprised at her own vehemence. â€Å"Good, because I wouldn't want to give this to the wrong person.† Blaise produced the notebook from behind her back like a magician. â€Å"Oh-where'd you get that?† Eric looked relieved and grateful. â€Å"I've been looking everywhere.† â€Å"My cousin gave it to me,† Blaise said carelessly. She held onto the notebook as he tried to take it, and their fingers touched. â€Å"Wait. You owe me something for bringing it back, don't you?† Her voice was a purr. And now Thea knew, without a doubt, what was going to happen. Eric was doomed.